The Nasarawa State Government has rejected a report alleging that the state spent ₦707 million on refreshments and meals between January and September 2025 while underfunding rural water projects.
The government clarified that the ₦707 million figure cited in the report represents cumulative expenditure by several Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, over a nine-month period and not a single discretionary spending item on refreshments, as suggested by the publication.
The report had claimed that a review of the state’s third-quarter 2025 budget performance showed that ₦707 million was spent on refreshments and meals during the period, compared to ₦300.5 million allocated to capital projects by the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, a comparison that triggered public criticism.
Reacting to the report, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Affairs, Mr Peter Ahemba, described the claims as inaccurate and unsupported by facts.
Ahemba said the expenditure referenced covered legitimate operational and statutory activities, including meetings, training, workshops, security operations and programme implementation across MDAs, and not frivolous spending as portrayed.
He also dismissed allegations that the state government had neglected rural water provision, describing such claims as unfounded in view of ongoing investments in water infrastructure across the state under the administration of Governor Abdullahi Sule.
According to him, since assuming office in 2019, the Sule-led administration has implemented wide-ranging reforms in the water sector through agencies such as the State Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, the Ministry of Water Resources and the State Water Board, with support from development partners.
Ahemba stated that these interventions have resulted in the rehabilitation and upgrade of water facilities in several communities, including Doma, Keana, Awe, Lafia, Nasarawa Eggon, Keffi and Karu, involving projects such as grid connections, pump replacements, dredging, borehole rehabilitation, plant renovations and the procurement of operational equipment, running into billions of naira.
He stressed that the projects, which span both rural and urban areas, contradict claims of neglect in the water sector and urged the public to disregard what he described as a misleading and malicious publication.
The government further reaffirmed its commitment to prudent financial management, accountability and the prioritisation of critical sectors such as education, healthcare, water supply and rural development.
Ahemba advised media organisations to verify facts before publication to avoid misleading the public and eroding confidence in government policies and programmes.
